Amaryllis belladonna

Amaryllis belladonna is a stunningly exotic bulbous perennial endemic to South Africa's Cape Province. It produces a cluster of large trumpet-shaped fragrant pink flowers carried on a tall bronzy-purple scape that usually appears in early autumn before the arrival of its strappy leaves. The leaves continue through winter before dying back in Spring and the bulb is dormant throughout the summer when it needs to be kept dry and rested. Bulbs may take several years before they flower but when they do it is spectacular. In its native habitat, Amaryllis belladonna becomes overgrown by surrounding scrub and its flowering cycle is often stimulated by bush fires, a natural phenonomen that may not always be entirely practical to emulate in cultivation. It likes a sandy very well-drained soil and it is advisable to surround the bulb in a nest of grit and sand and plant it shallowly with the stem-tip at the surface before covering in a mulch of grit for winter protection. It winters outdoors in favoured southwest locations and in sheltered London microclimates but for colder locations it may need to be grown in a container and brought underglass for the winter to protect the tender foliage.